3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Poor Julia Bonatti has had her life turned upside down by the newest cult leader on the block.. Reverend Roy and his Prophets Tabernacle . She has been driven out of her apartment and into the arms of two elderly Aunts . Add in a young man who says he is family and her troubles have gotten even worse . Will she be able to have her life back and get rid of Reverend Roy .

I will say that it honestly took a couple of chapters to get to liking the characters . Julia is a strong independent woman who can handle herself when it come to fighting . She also comes of a little naïve at the beginning of the book. She truly does grow in the book and becomes a force to reckon with . The aunts are crazy they bring the comic relief through out the book . One aunt is loosing her mind and the other is actually fawning over the guy trying to kill Julia . They make for some good reading . You will laugh so hard . Reverend Roy wow he is one screwed up dude . He is dangerous and not in a good way .

This is a book that I really wanted to love . I sat down and started reading and honestly I had a hard time connecting with the main characters at the beginning of the book . The author takes us on a ride that sometimes doesn't go all the way . We don't get to meet her friends but only through what they do . The second part of the book is much more exciting as she actually starts to figure out who the heck is trying to kill her . Over all I did enjoy this book and would read more from this author . So if you want a book for your summer reading list check it out .

This series certainly starts off with a bang! Great location (San Francisco), great characters, great plot and really interesting profession (astrologer). I agree with earlier reviewer that this really isn't a cozy mystery. The cover can make you think that but this definitely has more intense themes than cozies usually do. I read both cozies and thrillers so this book was great for me. Am looking forward to more books in this series.

I love when cozy mysteries have unusual settings or unusual careers for their lead character, as many times they run very much the same. "The Madness of Mercury" has come screaming onto the scene with a very different feel; set in San Francisco, a large city instead of a small town, and with a heroine who is a professional astrologer, the story was off to a strong start with just those two elements. I rather enjoyed the different feel of this cozy. Don't get me wrong I love my mainstream cozies, but it was refreshing to get a bit of something different and this book was exactly that. I can't wait to see what is coming next!

I liked this first book in the Zodiac Mystery series by Connie di Marco.

Julia Bonatti found comfort and a new found purpose in astrology after her fiancé died. Now she does readings for private clients and supplements her income by writing an astrology “advice” column for the local newspaper. She becomes a target of the Reverend Roy and his followers after she inadvertently speaks out against them in her column. She is confronted with threatening emails and phone calls, as well as picketers outside her home and the real possibility that she will be evicted. She agrees to stay with one of her clients in the interim, and the situation becomes more precarious and dangerous as time goes on.

I was immediately drawn in when I saw the bright, fun cover of The Madness of Mercury. Di Marco writes with a deft hand, and the story is paced nicely, building to an exciting and dangerous climax. However, I found the descriptions and explanations of astrology interrupted this flow on more than one occasion. These were more than mere tidbits of information, and though important to the story, they were a bit much for the average uninitiated reader. Otherwise, the mystery unfolds as it should, and loose ends are tied up in the end. I thought Lilly, whether her presence was real or not, was a nice addition.

The characters are engaging. Julia is relatable and seems like someone I would like to get to know better. Her friends Gale, Cheryl, and Don round out what I hope will be recurring characters. The characters central to this mystery, including Dorothy, Evandra, Eunice, Richard, and Reggie, were not as captivating but still offered a variety of personalities to enrich the story.

I enjoyed The Madness of Mercury and will definitely give the next book in the series a chance when it becomes available. I recommend it to fans of the cozy genre, especially those who are looking for a protagonist with a fresh occupation and enjoy the San Francisco setting.

Synopsis

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti's life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city's newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet's Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who's caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy.
Book Review and 4.6 stars


I am a Christian and I don't believe in people who foretell the future. However, I would never be part of situation that Julia finds herself involved in. This cult in my opinion is a group of individuals who are judgemental and we need to leave judgement to our God. Having said this, I would like to state that this is a good read and the author did a good job in writing the book in a non judgemental manner and provided all of with an insight to what can happen when a person is involved in such a situation. It is a dangerous situation and I encourage you to read it and find out what happens to Julia.

This is a fantastic beginning to The Zodiac Mysteries featuring captivating characters, action, suspense, arson, family drama, humorous moments and more, all set in San Francisco. I loved Julia Bonatti, an astrologer who has her own newspaper column, and her friends Gale, Cheryl and Bob. Once I entered Julia's world, I didn't want to leave and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. I highly recommend this fast-paced cozy and look forward to reading more from Connie di Marco. I was fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.